After the affairs on the island were settled, Uncle Nine Emperors stopped staying and took Feng Qingchen and Zuo An back to the shore. At the same time, "Uncle Nine Emperors" who was recuperating in the county town also announced that he had recovered from his illness and officially embarked on the road to Shandong.
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After recovering from his illness, Uncle Jiuhuang changed his previous low profile. Every time he went to a town, he would accept hospitality from local officials. Faced with the generous gifts from the officials, Uncle Jiuhuang accepted them without hesitation. Feng Qingchen quietly asked if he would not accept the gift.
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"No, it will be troublesome if you don't accept gifts. I don't want to cause trouble." If you don't accept gifts, what others think of you is not that you are incorruptible, but that you are dissatisfied with someone. Even if you are a prince, he cannot offend these people in the officialdom.
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"What trouble will there be?" As an ordinary citizen, although Feng Qingchen knew about the darkness in the officialdom and could adapt to it well, she still hated this kind of gift-giving behavior. She did not expect that Uncle Nine Emperors would be one of these people.
member.
You must know that these gifts are extremely expensive and cannot be bought with the official's salary. These are all corruption and are the blessings of the people.
"When you arrive in Liaocheng, you will understand that I will not accept the gift from the local governor." Uncle Nine Emperors did not explain the unspoken rules of officialdom, and only asked Feng Qingchen to see it with his own eyes.
Although it is good to be clear-minded officials, there are so many officials in the world. The mountains are high and the emperor is far away. How can everyone be so clear-minded? When the water is clear, there will be no fish. Uncle Nine Emperors does not mind the officials being dirty, but they must remember their job and cannot let them
The people complained endlessly.
Feng Qingchen had a vague idea of what Uncle Nine Emperors was going to do, but seeing Uncle Nine Emperors' open face, she didn't think much about it. What's more, she also wanted to know what troubles Uncle Nine Emperors would get if he didn't accept the gift.
They walked all the way and stopped when they met the city. The gifts they received almost filled a boat. Feng Qingchen once thought that if there was no more money to use in the future, he would let Uncle Jiuhuang go around and collect them.
The money I got was enough to live on for decades.
After a day's rest at the Governor's Mansion, Uncle Nine Emperors left early in the morning. The governor presented a thick gift list and with a humble smile, respectfully sent Uncle Nine Emperors off.
Uncle Jiu Huang didn't take anyone seriously from beginning to end, but even so, the governor was as happy as if he had taken advantage. Feng Qingchen knew that this was a common problem among officials, and the people above were willing to accept you.
A courtesy means that I am satisfied with you.
The three of them marched forward again with the mighty bodyguards. It was good to go in an open and fair manner. There were no troops or bandits along the way. If they met a caravan or something along the way, they would give way.
If you avoid it, no one will dare to come forward to ask for trouble, and of course there won't be anyone who blocks the way and asks for grievance.
Feng Qingchen once asked Uncle Nine Emperors why he was going on the road so openly. Why should he hide his identity like before? Stopping and stopping along the way would waste too much time.
The Nine Emperors Uncle's answer was: A gentleman cannot stand under a dangerous wall, and a son of a rich man cannot sit down in the hall. Although hiding one's identity is convenient, there are many unknown dangers, and the emperor will also be on guard.
With everything spread out under the sun, not only will the emperor have no excuse to deal with him, but their personal safety will also be guaranteed. With his status as the Nine Emperors Uncle in Dongling, they will definitely have a safe journey. No one dares to mess with him, and neither will the emperor.
The army will be sent to take action.
The dignified Nine Emperors Uncle died in Tangling under the protection of Congduo's soldiers. No official could afford to bear this crime, and Dongling could not afford to disgrace this man.
Just like Uncle Nine Emperors said, after revealing his identity, not only did he not encounter any trouble along the way, but he was also treated to delicious food and drinks wherever he passed. Compared with the previous period, the life of being on guard day and night was really much better.
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After enjoying the leisurely journey, Feng Qingchen said that it was very good now. She was provided with fine clothes and food along the way, and she could also think about where to start when she arrived in Shandong.
After all, Shandong is not only a game between the Nine Emperors Uncles and the Lu family, but also a game between the Emperor and the Nine Emperors Uncles.
After walking for two days and staying overnight at a villa on the way, Feng Qingchen and Uncle Jiuhuang arrived in Liaocheng on the afternoon of the next day.
The governor of Liaocheng was waiting outside the city gate early in the morning. When he saw the carriage of Uncle Nine Emperors, regardless of his own fatigue, he quickly went forward and knelt down with his officials to greet him.
"I respectfully welcome the Ninth Prince. May you be a thousand years old, a thousand years old, a thousand years old."
When Feng Qingchen got out of the car, he saw a series of people kneeling on the ground, including officials and guards.
Along the way, Feng Qingchen has become very accustomed to this kind of formal greeting ceremony. Although it is very official, it has to be that if it were not so official, Feng Qingchen would have thought that the local officials had some interest in Uncle Nine Emperors.
Opinion.
"No courtesy." Uncle Nine Emperors didn't put on any airs, but he still made the other party kneel before he said it.
"Thank you for your thousand years, Your Majesty." The governor of Liaocheng stood at the front, quietly raised his head and glanced at Uncle Nine Emperors, then quickly lowered his head, as if he did not dare to look directly.
"Your Majesty, my subordinates are hosting a banquet at your residence to greet your Majesty and ask for your favor." The governor of Liaocheng said flatteringly.
All the officials along the way were like this, and Jiuhuangshu didn't refuse. Along the way, he ate and took what he wanted. The governor of Liaocheng thought that Jiuhuangshu would do the same, but Jiuhuangshu waved his hand and said: "My king
If you are tired, go directly to the inn."
The governor of Liaocheng was stunned for a moment, and his face turned pale. He couldn't figure out what he had not done well, and he apologized again and again. He did not expect that Uncle Jiuhuang had worked hard all the way, and he was nagging. In the end, Uncle Jiuhuang was impatient and interrupted.
"Go to the inn." It was concise and clear, but it conveyed unquestionable majesty.
"Yes, yes, yes, Your Majesty, please come here." The governor of Liaocheng was so frightened that his legs were shaking and his head almost buried in his chest.
Inside the city, the governor of Liaocheng had prepared a sedan chair, but the Nine Emperors Uncle refused to sit on it and turned around to go into his carriage.
The governor, who could make Liaocheng tremble three times by stomping his feet, was now like a puppet, not knowing how to deal with the situation in front of him.
When getting on the carriage, Feng Qingchen saw the pale face and panic-stricken look of the governor of Liaocheng, and gave him a sympathetic look.
When they arrived at the inn, Uncle Jiuhuang sent all the officials away and only had a simple dinner at the inn. As soon as the dinner was finished, the servants came to report. The governor of Liaocheng and the local officials sent gifts. Uncle Jiuhuang ordered
If people refuse one by one, they will not accept it.
The people who came to give gifts were all sweating, and they kept saying nice things, trying to get the gifts in.
Uncle Nine Emperors and Feng Qingchen watched this scene outside the inn. Uncle Nine Emperors squeezed Feng Qingchen's hand and said, "Now you understand why I didn't refuse their hospitality and gifts."
Rejecting a gift is more troublesome than accepting a gift, and Uncle Nine Emperors hates trouble, but of course that's not always the case. He has his own intentions...
Feng Qingchen sighed and stammered: "From now on, I will...if one day you stand in the highest position, will you acquiesce to the officials below?"
Giving gifts is a custom, and Feng Qingchen also knows that she cannot change it with her own strength, but...
She couldn't do it but ignored something she knew was wrong.
"If you want a horse to run, you have to give it grass. Giving gifts is a common practice in official circles. It is not easy to stop it. But I will try my best. Let's go and take you to the Liaocheng Governor's Mansion."
Uncle Jiuhuang knew that Feng Qingchen still found it hard to accept, but he didn't want to explain more. There were some things he couldn't do now...